Kano — The National Assembly is set to review the laws establishing the operations of the National Seeds Council, to make it more responsive to challenges facing the sector.

The Deputy Director, Food Quality Control of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Chief Femi Joshua, disclosed this to newsmen in Kano, where he led a team of officials on strategic surveillance activities to the market.

Chief Joshua noted that the steps became necessary following absence of punitive measures to contain upsurge in the importation of fake grains in Nigeria by unscrupulous business men.

The Director stated that the bill that has passed through the scrutiny of the House of Representatives and is now at the Senate for final passage, pointing out that appropriate punishment is been envisaged to check the activities of those involved in the illicit business.

The decree setting up the Agency was signed in to law by Ibrahim Babangida in 1992 while most of the relevant clauses in the decree are no longer potent to combat the activities of those involved in fake grain distribution in the country.

The Joshua team, while in Kano, raided Abubakar Muhammad Rimi market and other notable sites in the city and confiscated fake grains and cautioned offenders in line with the existing laws.

The Director, Food Quality Control, lamented that the sale of fake grains had in recent times led to low yield on the part of farmers, and called on the stakeholders to join hands with the Agency to rid Nigerian market of the illicit products.

He revealed that Zonal offices of the Agency in the country have been mandated to step up their operations in a bid to rid the market of fake grains, adding that it is their responsibility to ensure that all seeds produced for marketing are certified.